Chicago man charged after posting pictures of gun with 'Glock switch' on social media, feds say

CHICAGO - A Chicago man was charged with illegally possessing a machine gun conversion device after posting photos of it on social media. 

Federal agents searched 22-year-old Latavion Johnson's South Side home on Thursday and found the conversion device in a tool bag in his bedroom. The device, known as a "Glock switch" or "auto sear," allows a firearm to fire multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger.

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Johnson posted videos on social media showing himself holding a firearm equipped with a conversion device. He also allegedly posted a photograph of the device next to a stack of $20 bills.

Johnson was arrested Friday and remains in federal custody. He was charged with one count of possession of a machine gun, which is punishable by a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will seek Johnson’s continued pre-trial detention at his hearing on Wednesday. 

The investigation has been led by the ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago, an interagency collaboration that focuses on investigating and preventing gun violence in the city and throughout northern Illinois.